Cardboard box

ABSTRACT

A cardboard box includes: two pairs of opposed side walls; a bottom wall closing a region defined by the lower ends of the two pairs of side walls; and a lid covering an upper opening defined by the upper ends of the two pairs of side walls. At least one of the side walls can be opened and closed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cardboard box (corrugated box) used for containing and transporting goods, particularly to a large-sized cardboard box for containing and transporting tools or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a cardboard box used for containing and transporting goods is so configured that a top wall thereof is openable, and goods are put into and taken out of the cardboard box through an upper opening formed by opening the top wall (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 8-268471). As a cardboard box 1 for containing and transporting tools or the like, there is used a large-sized cardboard box measuring about one meter in length, about one meter in width and about one meter in height. In the case of using such a large-sized cardboard box, containing of goods into the cardboard box is carried out, for example, by two people, with one of them getting into the cardboard box and with the other outside the box handing over the goods to the one inside the box. In addition, in taking goods out of the cardboard box, it is easier to take out the goods through a side portion of the box than through an upper portion of the box. Therefore, it is a common practice to cut the top wall and a side wall of the cardboard box with a cutter to form an opening, and take out the goods through the opening formed in the side wall (Cutting the top wall of the cardboard box in forming the opening is for avoiding the trouble for the worker to bend down when getting into the box.).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The large-sized cardboard box as above-mentioned has a problem of poor working efficiency, since two people are required to contain goods into the box. In addition, at the time of taking goods out of the cardboard box, a side wall of the box is cut with a cutter to form an opening, as above-mentioned. Since the cardboard constituting the large-sized cardboard box has a thickness of 1 to 2 cm, however, the operation of cutting the side wall with a cutter to form the opening requires considerable time and effort. Thus, there is a problem of poor operating efficiency.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cardboard box which allows goods to be put into and taken out of the box easily, and, therefore, promises good working efficiency.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cardboard box including: two pairs of opposed side walls; a bottom wall closing a region defined by lower ends of the two pairs of side walls; and a lid covering an upper opening defined by upper ends of the two pairs of side walls, wherein at least one of the side walls can be opened and closed.

At least one of the side walls includes: a pair of guide grooves provided to extend in a vertical direction along the pair of side walls adjacent to the at least one of the side walls, the pair of guide grooves being opposed to each other; and a side wall plate slidably mounted in the pair of guide grooves.

As above-mentioned, the cardboard box according to one aspect of the present invention includes the two pairs of opposed side walls, the bottom wall closing the region defined by the lower ends of the two pairs of side walls, and the lid covering the upper opening defined by the upper ends of the two pairs of side walls, wherein at least one of the side walls can be opened and closed. In containing goods into the cardboard box, therefore, the lid is detached to open the upper opening and, in addition, the at least one of the side walls which is configured to be openable and closable is opened to open a side portion of the box. In this state, a worker can get into the cardboard box through the opened side portion and perform the operation of containing goods into the box. In this case, since the upper opening is also open, the worker does not need to bend down when carrying out the operation.

In addition, at the time of taking out the goods contained in the cardboard box, the lid is detached to open the upper opening, and the at least one of the side walls that is openable and closable is opened to open the side portion, like in the case of containing goods into the box as above-mentioned. In this state, the worker can take out the goods contained in the cardboard box, through the opened side portion of the box. In this case, since the upper opening is also open, it is unnecessary for the worker to bend down when carrying out the operation. Thus, the upper opening is opened by detaching the lid, and the side portion is opened by opening the at least one of the side walls that is designed to be openable and closable. Therefore, the need to cut a side wall with a cutter to form an opening at the time of taking out the contained goods, as in the case of the cardboard box according to the related art, is eliminated. Accordingly, working efficiency is enhanced. Furthermore, since the cardboard box is not cut with a cutter, the cardboard box can be repeatedly used as a goods-delivery box, which is economical.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood from a study of the following description and appended claims with reference to the attached drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of component members of a cardboard box configured according to the present invention, in a disassembled state;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cardboard box configured according to the present invention, in a partly assembled state; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cardboard box configured according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Now, a preferred embodiment of a cardboard box 1 configured according to the present invention will be described in detail below, referring to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of component members of the cardboard box 1 configured according to the present invention, in a disassembled state; FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the cardboard box 1 configured according to the present invention, in a partly assembled state; and FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the cardboard box 1 configured according to the present invention.

The cardboard box 1 in the embodiment shown in the drawings includes: two pairs of opposed side walls 2 a and 2 b, 2 c and 2 d; a bottom wall 3 closing a region defined by the lower ends of the two pairs of side walls 2 a and 2 b, 2 c and 2 d; and a lid 5 covering an upper opening 4 defined by the upper ends of the two pairs of side walls 2 a and 2 b, 2 c and 2 d. These component members are formed of a corrugated fiberboard having a thickness of about 10 mm, for example. Incidentally, the bottom wall 3 includes bottom wall plates 3 a and 3 b which can be bent from the lower ends of the side walls 2 a and 2 b.

One 2 d of the side walls 2 a, 2 b, 2 c and 2 d is configured to be openable and closable. The side wall 2 d includes: a guide groove forming part 21 which is roughly U-shaped; a guide groove forming plate 22 which is roughly U-shaped, is disposed on the inner side of the guide groove forming part 21, and cooperates with the guide groove forming part 21 in forming a pair of guide grooves that extend in the vertical direction and that are opposed to each other; and a side wall plate 23 detachably mounted in the pair of guide grooves.

The roughly U-shaped guide groove forming part 21 includes: vertical parts 21 a and 21 b extending in the vertical direction along the pair of side walls 2 a and 2 b adjacent to the guide groove forming part 21; and a horizontal part 21 c interconnecting the lower ends of the vertical parts 21 a and 21 b. Similarly to the guide groove forming part 21, the roughly U-shaped guide groove forming plate 22 also includes vertical parts 22 a and 22 b extending in the vertical direction, and a horizontal part 22 c interconnecting the lower ends of the vertical parts 22 a and 22 b. The guide groove forming plate 22 is disposed with a predetermined spacing (so sized as to permit sliding of the side wall plate 23) between itself and the guide groove forming part 21. The vertical parts 22 a and 22 b of the guide groove forming plate 22 are attached to the inner surfaces of the side walls 2 a and 2 b. The guide groove forming plate 22 thus disposed, with the predetermined spacing between itself and the guide groove forming part 21, cooperates with the guide groove forming part 21 in forming a pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b that extend in the vertical direction along the pair of side walls 2 a and 2 b adjacent to the guide groove forming part 21 and that are opposed to each other.

The side wall plate 23 is formed in a rectangular shape from a corrugated fiberboard having a thickness of about 10 mm, like the side walls 2 a, 2 b, 2 c and 2 d and the bottom wall 3. The side wall plate 23 is inserted into the pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b from above, and is slid downward along the guide grooves 24 a and 24 b to the bottom wall 3, whereby a side opening 20 defined by the U-shaped guide groove forming part 21 can be closed and, as shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 2 d can be configured.

Thus, the side wall 2 d is so configured that a closed state in which the side opening 20 is closed is established by inserting the side wall plate 23 into the pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b from above and sliding the side wall plate 23 downward along the guide grooves 24 a and 24 b to the bottom wall 3 to thereby mount the side wall plate 23 in position, and that an open state in which the side opening 20 is open is established by drawing out the side wall plate 23 by sliding the side wall plate 23 upward along the pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b.

The lid 5 includes a rectangular top wall 51, and drooping walls 52 a, 52 b, 52 c and 52 d formed to droop from respective edges of the top wall 51. The dimension between the inner surfaces of the drooping walls 52 a and 52 b is set to be slightly longer than the dimension between the outer surfaces of the side walls 2 a and 2 b; similarly, the dimension between the inner surfaces of the drooping walls 52 c and 52 d is set to be slightly longer than the dimension between the outer surfaces of the side wall 2 c and the guide groove forming part 21 constituting the side wall 2 d. Therefore, the lid 5 can be fitted onto upper end portions of the side walls 2 a, 2 b, 2 c and 2 d to cover the upper opening 4, as shown in FIG. 3.

The cardboard box 1 is configured as above-described. At the time of containing goods into the cardboard box 1, the lid 5 is removed, as shown in FIG. 1, and the side wall plate 23 is drawn out by sliding it upward along the pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b. As a result, the upper opening 4 and the side opening 20 are opened, to establish an open state. In this state, a worker can get into the cardboard box 1 through the side opening 20 and carry out the operation of containing the goods. In this case, the worker does not need to bend down when performing the operation, since the upper opening 4 is also open.

After the goods are contained as above-mentioned, the side wall plate 23 is inserted into the pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b from above, and is slid downward along the guide grooves 24 a and 24 b to the bottom wall 3, to close the side opening 20, thereby establishing a closed state. Then, the lid 5 is fitted onto the upper end portions of the side walls 2 a, 2 b, 2 c and 2 d, to cover the upper opening 4, as shown in FIG. 3. After the goods are packed up in this manner, a fastening belt (not shown) is attached to the outer periphery of the cardboard box 1, and the cardboard box 1 is transported to a destination.

At the time of taking out the goods contained in the cardboard box 1, the fastening belt attached to the outer periphery of the box is cut. Then, the lid 5 is removed and the side wall plate 23 is drawn out by sliding it upward along the pair of guide grooves 24 a and 24 b, like at the time of containing the goods as above-mentioned. As a result, the upper opening 4 and the side opening 20 are opened, to establish an open state. In this state, the worker can take out the goods contained in the cardboard box 1, through the side opening 20. In this case, the worker does not need to bend down in carrying out the operation, since the upper opening 4 is also open. Thus, the upper opening 4 and the side opening 20 are opened by removing the lid 5 and the side wall plate 23. Therefore, the need to cut a side wall with a cutter to form an opening at the time of taking out the goods, as in the case of a cardboard box according to the related art, is eliminated. Consequently, working efficiency is enhanced. In addition, since the cardboard box 1 is not cut with a cutter, the cardboard box 1 can be used repeatedly as a goods-delivery box, which is economical.

While the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment shown in the drawings, the invention is not restricted only to the embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, while an example wherein the side wall plate 23 is of a slide type has been shown in the above-described embodiment, the side wall plate may be of a door type. In addition, while an example wherein the bottom wall 3 is formed by use of the bottom wall plates 3 a and 3 b capable of being bent from the lower ends of the side walls 2 a and 2 b has been shown in the above-described embodiment, the bottom wall may be configured in the same manner as the lid 5.

The present invention is not limited to the details of the above described preferred embodiment. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and all changes and modifications as fall within the equivalence of the scope of the claims are therefore to be embraced by the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cardboard box comprising: two pairs of opposed side walls; a bottom wall closing a region defined by lower ends of the two pairs of side walls; and a lid covering an upper opening defined by upper ends of the two pairs of side walls, wherein at least one of the side walls can be opened and closed.
 2. The cardboard box according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the side walls includes: a pair of guide grooves provided to extend in a vertical direction along the pair of side walls adjacent to the at least one of the side walls, the pair of guide grooves being opposed to each other; and a side wall plate slidably mounted in the pair of guide grooves. 